Two Workers Rescued Alive from Tunnel After 9 Days in Nepal Flood

NEPAL। The devastating flood that hit Nepal on August 26 caused massive destruction. After nine days, two workers were rescued alive from a tunnel of a Trishuli hydropower project. According to officials, they were trapped about 170 meters inside.

The flood on August 26 changed the geography of the area in Nepal. Suddenly, a flood of water and mud entered the tunnel of the Trishuli-3A hydropower project, blocking the way out. Workers Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan, trapped in the tunnel for nine days, struggled to survive in darkness and cold.

The rescue team kept digging continuously and lost hope several times, but on the ninth day, voices were heard from inside the tunnel and contact was established. The workers were safely brought out from about 170 meters inside. Kabir Maharjan is 45 years old and Sanjay Shah is 30 years old. Maharjan was taken to the hospital on a stretcher, while Shah’s injuries are not serious.

The Nepal Army said that air pockets inside the tunnel saved the workers’ lives. The rescue team now hopes that due to similar air pockets, more people may be found alive inside the tunnel. So far, more than 1,200 people have died in this disaster and about 900 workers are missing, of whom 500 are suspected to be trapped in tunnels.

Kabir Maharjan’s brother, Amir Maharjan, said, "I am very happy." The Nepal Army said that search and rescue operations continue around the Trishuli-3A project. Even ten days after the disaster, bodies are being recovered daily from the debris, but finding two workers alive is considered a miracle of nature.

The Nepal Army reported that two bodies were recovered from a tunnel of the Langtang Hydropower Station and the search for others continues.

Rescue operations continue amid this terrible disaster in Nepal. The rescue team said the tunnel was completely filled with mud and stones, some stones larger than cars. Meanwhile, the rescue team has raised new hopes that more people may be found alive.

This is not just a case of a tunnel being blocked, but the flood has changed the entire geography of the area.

Raja Ram Basnet, Official

After 10 days of darkness, life has seen light again

Nepal Army, Statement